Dimmer device for headlights



March 25, 1930. s. J. GRASLEWICZ v DIMMER DEVICE FOR HEADLIGHTS Filed April- 11, 1927 Patented lVl ar. 25, 1930 STANLEY J. eRAsLEwrcz. or

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA DIMMER 'D'EVICE non HEADLIGHTS Application filed April 11,

This invention relates to a headlight adapt t ed to be used on vehicles such as automobiles and particularly to a dimming means for such a headlight. As is well known, there is often a very objectionable glare from the headlights on such vehicles. This glare is particularly objectionable to drivers approaching such headlights and often obscures the approaching vehicle and prevents the ap proaching driver from properly seeing the road. y It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a simple, eificient and easily operated means for controlling the lamp in the headlight so that there will be'no glare from the latter.

It is also an obj ect of this invention to provide a headlight having a lamp therein and a dimming means in the'form of a sleeve of translucent material movable relatively to said lamp so as to embrace the same at certain times and diminish the refiectedlight therefrom so that the glare from the headlight is eliminated, said sleeve being held locked in its dimming position together with electrically operated means for relatively moving said sleeve and lamp and unlocking said sleeve." I

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide a headlight having a lamp therein and a substantially cylindrical shield or sleeve movable relatively thereto; so as to surround thelamp at certain times and diminish the reflected light therefrom, electro magnetic means being provided to'relatively move said lamp and shield, locking means being provided to hold said shield in dimming position, and electro-magnetic. means being provided to unlock said shield. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fullyset forth in the following description, made in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer "to similar parts throughout the several' views and in which z+ Fig. 1 is a horizontal ce through the deviceyan'd Fig. 2 is a .verticalsection takenion line 2-2 of Fig; 1 as indicated by the arrows."

ntr'al section 1927. Serial No. 182,710.

Referring to the drawings, a headlight is shown having the outer casing 5 in which is 7 supported the inner casing or reflector 6. The usual lamp socket 7 is provided, mounted in a flange bearing 8 secured to the casing 5 by the screws v 9. The usual lamp bulb 10 is mounted in the socket 7 and projects axially of the reflector6. A bracket 12 is secured to the rearof the casing 5 by the screws 9 havinga rearwardly projecting hollow cylindrical portion or sleeve 12*. The member 12 has a pair of holes 12 adjacent opposite sides thereof and tubes 13 are disposed in said holes andheld therein by the set screws 14. Apair of rods 15 extend through the tubes 1S and through alined holes in the casing 5 and reflector 6, said rods being threaded at their front ends to receive clamping nuts 16 between which is clamped anannular member 17 having aforwardly projecting frustoconical fiange receiving a I frusto-conical sleeve or shield 18 secured therein.

*The sleeve 12*, lamp socket 7 and shield 18 are all co-axially arranged. The rods 15 are also threaded at their rear ends to' receive clamping nuts 19- between which is secured a circular plate 20. Secured to the plate 20 purpose tobe later described. Said tube carries or'haswound thereon a coil 22 forming a solenoid coil and it will be noted thatthe opening through the tube 21 is slightly greater thanthe diameter of the sleeve 12 The member 12 also has secured thereto by the screws 14 an outer casing 23 enclosing tubes 13, the rods 15 and the plate 20, said casing fitting over the outer side of member 12. The casing 23 is closed at its rear end and has members 24- secured thereto at spaced points, {which preferably will be made of fiber or rub ber.

Small fiber or rubber washers 24? are also placed on the rods15-at the ends of tubes 13 and also form. bumper members. A coiled I spring'25is disposed between, the plate 20 and the rear end 'of'sleeve 12 A tube or sleeve 12 and has wound thereon a solenoid spool 26 is disposed within the outer end'of coil 27. The sleeve 12 has a member 28 secured to and spanning its rear end to which are pivoted bell crank members 29 formed with hooks at their outer ends and having their inner ends pivoted by a common pivot to a stem or pin 30 which at its inner end is threaded and securedin a cylindricaLmember 31 forming the core of solenoid coil 30 and having an enlarged stud 51 at its inner side between which stud and the end of spool 26 is disposed a coiled spring 82. extend to the lamp socket 7 coil 22 and the coil 27 respectively. The conductor extend in; to the coil 22 will be disposediii the bottom of casing 23 and will be quite flexible. The conductor 33 extending to the lamp socket will as usual be connected to the lamp or headlight switch. The conductors 33 extending to the solenoids 22 and 27 will be connected to some convenient switches such as push buttons disposed in convenient position for manipulation by the driver. One side of the circuits formed by the conductors 33 will preferably as usual be grounded to the frame of the machine or to the casing 5 of theheadpy the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1.

At this time as shown the shield 18 which is made of frosted celluloid 'or some similar translucent material will be substantially in the rear of the lamp bulb 10. WVhen it is desired to dim the headlight, as when approaching another car, the driver will press the button controlling the solenoid 22. This solenoid will then be energized and will be attracted to the sleeve 12 As the sleeve is fixed, the coil22 will move over the sleeve, thus carrying with it the plate 20 and the rods 15. The rods thus move the shield-1S forwardly to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. As the plate 20 approaches the end of the sleeve 12 the hook arms or" levers 29 pass into the slots 20? and engage over the inner edges of the said slots as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1., The shield when in its forward position intercepts practically all of the rays which pass fronilamp 10 to the rear; portion nated from the headlight.

CliBCllIQClS rays from lamp 10 can pass out of the reflector 6. The rays are not entirely cutoff, as the member'18 is, as stated, translucent. Practically all of the reflected light, however, is cut off so that the glare is elimi- At the same time through the front oftheheadlight and give ample illumination for driving purposes.

. When it is desired toplacethe headlight in normal position, the operator will press the button controlling the solenoid 27.

r 27 will then be energized and the core'81 will be drawnthereinto. against thetension of spring 32. As core 31 moves into the coil it Conductors 33' This coil hooked ends thereof are then moved outwardly, thus releasing the plate 20. Spring 25 which was compressed upon movement of the coil 22 thus retracts plate 20 and through the rods 15 moves the shield 18 to its norm l position. The members 2 and 2e are bythe nuts 19 in movement olcoil 22and act as bun'ipers.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided a very simple and efficient headlight with dimming attachment. The parts are all quite compact, simple in construction and easily installed, and operated. The operating parts are also all enclosedin the casing 23 and are thus well pro having in combination, a casing, a reflector within said casing, a lamp socket disposed therein, a lamp in said lamp socket, a tubular shield normally disposed substantially at the rear of said lamp and in'l'ront of the reflecting surface of said reflector, a pair of small parallel rods carrying said shield and extend ing through said reflector, a member of magnetic material secured to the rear of said casing, means carried by said member in which said rods are movable, said member having a central hollow sleeve coaxially arranged with said lamp socket and lamp, an electromagnetic coil movable over said sleeve to which said rods are connected, said coil being movable over said sleeve when energized to move said shield to dimming position substantially over said lamp, a locking means for holding said shield in dimming position andwan. electro-magnetic coil within said sleeve adapted to release said locking means and means for moving said'shield to normal.

position,

2. A headlight with a dimming attachment havingin combination, a reflector, a lamp socket therein,a lamp disposed in said socket, a tubular shield normally disposed in the rear of said lamp and always disposed in frontof said reflector, means for moving said shield to a dimming. position substantially over said lamp, a plate secured to said means,

a pair of locking levers engageable with said plate to. hold said shield in dimming position, an electro-magneticcoil, a plunger movable" in saidcoil and'pivotally connected to sa d levers to swing the same to releasing position to release said shield and means for moving said shield to normal position,

3. Aheadlight with a dimming attachment having in combination, a reflector, a lamp support, a lamp therein, a rigid tubularshield of translucent material at all times in front of said reflector and normally disposed in the rear of said lamp, supports for'said shield comprising small rods passing through said reflector, an electro-magnetic coil connected to said lamp support and shield, said lamp socket and shield being relatively movable when said coil is energized to position said shield substantially over said lamp, a spring against the tension of which said shield is movable, a locking means for holding said shield in dimming position, and additional electro-magnetic means for releasing said locking means to permit said spring to move said shield to normal position.

4. A vehicle headlight comprising a dimming attachment having in combination, a reflector, a lamp socket therein, a lamp bulb in said socket, arigid translucent tubular shield of much less length than the diameter of said lamp bulb, spaced rods of small transverse'dimension carrying said shield extending through the rear of said reflector, said shield being normally in position in the rear of said lamp bulb and in front of said reflector whereby it obstructs no light in front of said lamp bulb, and light may be reflected from the lamp through the opening in said shield, means controlled by the operator for moving said. rods to position said shieldsubstantially centrally over said lamp bulb to obstruct the direct rays therefrom from a arranged in relation to said lamp and shield, supporting rods for said shield disposed at diametrically opposite sides thereof carried f by said coil, said shield and rods being mov able with said coil when thevlatter is energized to move said shield substantially over large portion of said reflector, locking means for holding said shield in said latter position, and additional electro-magnetic means controlled by the operator for releasing said locking means, and means for returning said shield to normal position.

5. A vehicle headlight comprising a dimming attachment having in combination, a re-- flector, a lamp supportedtherein, a rigid annular shield for said lamp, normally dis posed in front of said reflector and in the rear of said lamp, supporting means for saidshield extending through said reflector and interrupting only a small portion of thesurface thereof, means in the rear of said reflector connected to said shield for moving the same bodily to a position surrounding the filament of said lamp with its rear edge a substantial distance from the reflector, and means for returning said shield to normal position.

6. A vehicle headlight comprising a dimming attachment having in combination, a reflector, a lamp stationary relative to said reflector, a short rigid tubular shield of translucent material for said lamp normally disposed in front of said reflector and int-he rear of said lamp, an electro-magnetic coil in the rear of said reflector and concentrically I 

